
Are you a procrastinator? Maybe you wait until the last minute to get something done or you say things like, “It will get done sometime,” or “It will be done when it needs to be done.” There was a story that went around while I was in school of a student who was working on their big paper the night before it was due, and the computer crashed. No iCloud, no back up, nothing. And not enough time to start afresh. This student dropped out. I have been burned enough times by procrastinating that now I really try to get my stuff done early.
You might say, “So I am a procrastinator; what is the big deal?” If you want to live your life like that and understand the consequences, you can live how you want, I guess. It is your business about your bills, papers, projects, or whatever it is that you have to get done. What I want to talk about is more important than those things. I want to talk about eternity. I read a quote the other day by St. Augustine of Hippo that said, “God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.” It reminds me of the story of the man who was going to be immersed for the forgiveness of his sins when the weather warmed up, but the weather evidently never warmed up enough to be baptized before he died.
James chapter four verse fourteen reminds us that our life is but a vapor. We do not know when it will end. The reality is that any of our lives could end shortly. The Lord compares His return to a thief in the night in passages like Matthew chapter twenty-four verses forty-two through forty-four. Which means it could be any time. Are you ready? Well, I need to be baptized. Why not today? Well, I have some sin I need to take care of. Why not today? The Lord is gracious to forgive. Why not take advantage of that before it is everlasting too late?